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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2016)
BACK TO SOCCER FIELDS READY SCHOOL TIPS FOR DEBUT Page 5A Page 10A Volume 141, Issue 34 www.Polkio.com August 24, 2016 $1.00 IN YOUR TOWN DALLAS Public works crews repair the bridge on Monmouth Cutoff Road. »Page 3A FALLS CITY The school district will replace nearly a dozen faucets contami- nated with lead. »Page 14A LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer Sol Sisters, Inc. purchased the former location of Lavender Lakes Farms in April. Marijuana businesses step up INDEPENDENCE Sojourn International donates shampoo to help flood victims in Louisiana. »Page 8A Organic Investments submits site design review to city of Independence By Lukas Eggen What is legal in Oregon? The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — Organic In- vestments submitted a site design review to the City of Independence for 16,840-square feet of greenhous- es for growing cannabis, and a 8,740 square-foot building for processing of cannabis and office use. Mark Jennings, of consulting firm Pure Botanicals, took part in a com- munity meeting in January to discuss plans. Jennings said at that meeting there were no plans to grow plants on-site and that the company was in- terested in purchasing 1.2 acres. The majority of the people at the meeting spoke against the project. The site design review submitted to the city now includes a green- house. “My sense was (the community meeting) was just an effort to bring everyone to the table,” Joey Shearer, Independence contract planner, said. “Those informal meetings are useful to notify the neighbors when you have a new project, but it’s not a code requirement meeting. It doesn’t play an official role (in the decision).” The submitted site design review is for two parcel frontings on the east side of Stryker Road, just south of the intersection with Skyraider Drive. The area is zoned for heavy industrial and would not Age restriction: You must be 21 years old or older to possess and use recreational marijuana. Possession: You can carry up to one ounce of ready-to-smoke mari- juana on your person and keep up to eight ounces at home. You can’t legally take marijuana across state lines. Growing: People can grow up to four plants per household (not per each member of a household) for personal use. Public use: Marijuana use in public is prohibited. Measure 91, the measure that legalized recreation marijuana, defines public as “a place to which the general public has access and includes, but is not limited to, hallways, lobbies, and other parts of apartment houses and hotels not constituting rooms or apartments designed for actual residence, and highways, streets, schools, places of amusement, parks, playgrounds and premises used in connection with public pas- senger transportation.” If using at a private residence, keep in mind that if someone outside can see you, that could be considered public. Edibles: Since June 2, medical dispensaries authorized to sell recre- ational marijuana can sell one dose (no more than 15 milligrams of THC) of cannabis-infused food or drink per customer per day. Parole and probation: In Polk County, it is illegal to possess or use recreation marijuana while under the supervision of Community Cor- rections. Driving under the influence: Like drinking and driving, it is illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana. For more information: OLCC has created a website www.whatslega- lOregon.com to provide information on what is legal — and what isn’t. *Compiled by Jolene Guzman require any rezoning. Public comments will be accepted through Sept. 2. The city’s decision on approving the site design review is only de- pendent on the development code. “This decision has to be based on the decision criteria in the develop- ment code,” Shearer said. “Com- ments from everyone are most use- ful when they are specific and tied directly to development code crite- ria.” Shearer said a timeline for deci- sion is difficult to estimate and de- pends on the completeness and any potential issues with the site design review materials. Organic Investments isn’t the only location looking to grow and/or process cannabis. The former location of Lavender Lakes Farms, off highway 99W in Monmouth, was sold to Sol-Sisters, Inc. in April. The farm is no longer selling lavender. Sol-Sisters is part of a national nonprofit organization providing holistic health services. The organi- zation received a recreational mari- juana license in May. Nine recreational marijuana growing licenses have been ap- proved for Polk County as of Aug. 8. A producer must establish culti- vation batches, which may not have more than 100 immature plants, and assign each batch a unique identifi- cation number. A producer may have an unlimit- ed number of cultivation batches at any one time. Canopy size limits are split into indoor and outdoor tiers. Indoor tier I producers are approved up to 5,000 square feet. See MARIJUANA, Page 12A Wellness center exceeds targets By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — When Central Health and Wellness Center opened its doors last year, the goals were to provide medical, be- havior health and dental services to Central School District students and the communities. Brent DeMoe, Polk Coun- ty Family and Community Outreach coordinator, said the center projected 1,232 visits with patients in the first year. That target was de- THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK veloped through research prior to opening the center. By the third year, the center was expected to have 2,956 patient visits. After the first year, the center has exceeded expec- tations of DeMoe, as well as partners West Valley Health Services and Capitol Dental. “We’ve gotten really busy, much faster than we thought we would,” said Karen Remington, of West Valley Health. “We went from minimal, part-time staff to full-time providers in the first couple of months.” The center opened in July 2015 for six hours, three days a week. By September 2015, it was 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Fri- day. In May, the center added three Wednesdays a month where it is open until 6:30 p.m. for parents who work during the day. It serves both students and community members, which is one reason why it could be self-sustaining earlier than projected, DeMoe said. “Most school-based health centers in the state are not open to the community,” he said. “If it was only to serve students here, it would not be self-sustaining.” While students can get health care at the center re- gardless of ability to pay, the health and wellness center was never created to be a free medical clinic. In addition to medical care, the center has a dentist on site two days a week and a hygienist once a week. “We may add another hy- giene day once school starts back up,” said Linda Mann of Capitol Dental. The need for dental servic- wed thu fri sat Come enjoy music by Jacob Miller at Music and the Bridge City Crooners at Main Street Park in Monmouth. 6:30 p.m. Free. Find your latest treasure at the Polk County Bounty Mar- ket located at the Academy Building Lawn in Dallas. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The finale of the River’s Edge Sum- mer Music Series features Pyromania: The Def Leppard Ex- perience. 8:30 p.m. $5 donation If you’re looking for fresh food, check out the Original In- dependence Farmer’s Market all day long. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunny Hi: 91 Lo: 58 Sunny Hi: 94 Lo: 57 Sunny Hi: 94 Lo: 54 Sunny Hi: 78 Lo: 53 es was great, Mann said, not- ing that at least a third of kindergarteners through sec- ond-graders reported never having seen a dentist. To help serve more children, Capitol Dental received a grant to start a teledentistry program. “We have a hygienist and dental assistant that goes into the three elementary schools here in Central and takes X-rays, oral photos and does an assessment on each child that’s returned a consent form,” Mann ex- plained. See CENTER, Page 12A sun Take in and discuss some beautiful art at the Last Sunday at the River Gallery located in Inde- pendence. 2 p.m. Free. Sunny Hi: 77 Lo: 51 MONMOUTH Western Oregon’s new home for the De- partment of Education is open. »Page 14A POLK COUNTY Continue building your weekly emergency kit. »Page 2A SPORTS Western Oregon’s volleyball team hopes a new coach can turn around program. »Page 10A Dallas man pleads guilty to marijuana charges Itemizer-Observer staff report DALLAS — A Dallas man pleaded guilty to marijuana charges in Polk County Circuit Court Tues- day morning. Morgan Keith Haney, 26, pleaded guilty to un- lawful delivery of marijua- na to a minor and unlaw- ful delivery of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school. He also pleaded no-contest to possession of a schedule 1 controlled substance, felon in pos- session of a firearm and felon in possession of a restricted weapon. Polk County Circuit Court Judge Monte Camp- bell sentenced Haney to 34 months in prison and three years of post-prison supervision for these crimes. The Dallas Police De- partment’s investigation revealed that Haney had been selling marijuana in the parking lot shared by Dallas High School and Chemeketa Community College. The case was prosecuted by the Polk County District Attorney’s Office. mon tue The Willamette Val- ley New Horizons Orchestra is open to musicians of all skill levels. 6:30 p.m. $25 monthly fee With summer com- ing to a close, why not celebrate Na- tional Toasted Marshmallow Day by enjoying the timeless treat. Partly cloudy Hi: 76 Lo: 52 Sunny Hi: 78 Lo: 54
